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Washington Capitals' Dale Hunter steps down as head coach
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Well that didn't take long.
Two days after the Washington Capitals were eliminated in Game 7 by the New York Rangers, Dale Hunter has decided he will step down as head coach. The decision comes following speculation that Hunter would return to his family in London after it was reported that Hunter signed a one-year deal.
"I want to go back to the farm, the team, and the family," Hunter told reporters at the team's locker clean-out day.
Dale owns the London Knights (OHL) with his brother Mark, and the Knights are currently set to play in the Memorial Cup after winning the OHL title. It certainly was a long shot for Hunter to return as his family lives in London and he has practically built an OHL empire.
In his first year coaching the team, Hunter led the Capitals to a second-round appearance after many thought Washington wouldn't even make the playoffs as recently as mid-March. The former Caps captain completely changed the way Alex Ovechkin and co. play the game, and taught those players what it takes to win come crunch time.
A man like Dale Hunter cannot be replaced. He was able to reach the players in a way Bruce Boudreau could never achieve, and his personal playing experience played a vital part in the (relative) postseason success for the Capitals.
Now it's time to find the coach that will use a blend of both systems (Hunter and Boudreau) to take the next step in the long process of achieving a Stanley Cup. More to come from Capitals 101.
Be sure to check out other great articles at Sports Media 101.
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4 Comments
considerable talent in Washington. Let Alex Semin walk and find a cheaper guy who's got guts and some talent to be the Captain. Dustin Brown, Patrick Sharp or Mike Cammalleri come to mind - cheaper than Semin but with a much better influence on the team as a whole. Ryan Smyth and Shane Doan are UFA this summer, or there's the Zach Parise sweepstakes. I was certain Parise would hit the open market, but a trip to the Conference finals might have New Jersey looking better these days.
SlayerScott says...
Hunter wasn't the guy. Boudreau was "kind of" the guy but his indulgent style had a shelf life and it expired while better teams won the Cup - a storm they could have weathered if they had proper goaltending. The Caps really need to go back to how they played when they were the President's Trophy winners - freewheeling offensive Hockey. When Mike Green plays the goofy 4th forward position he made up he's a 30 goal NHL leading defenceman scorer. When he plays the standard defence position he's a plug. Carlson, Schultz, Hamrlik and Alzner can all cover up for him. The Caps need an offensive minded coach, some goaltending stability and a new Captain. Think Vinny Lecavalier in Tampa - when they ripped the C off him he started playing better. If Ovechkin is deployed as an offensive weapon he's one of the best in the game. Scoring goals comes veyr naturally to him. Leadership responsibilities and defensive Hockey don't come easy to him, and if he concentrates on thos things the offensive game that's his specialty suffers. Why do you need your left winger playing defensive Hockey? Limit OV's minutes a little and take the C off him and he can be a 60 goal guy again. Find a coach who knows hwo to deploy the
considerable talent in Washington. Let Alex Semin walk and find a cheaper guy who's got guts and some talent to be the Captain. Dustin Brown, Patrick Sharp or Mike Cammalleri come to mind - cheaper than Semin but with a much better influence on the team as a whole. Ryan Smyth and Shane Doan are UFA this summer, or there's the Zach Parise sweepstakes. I was certain Parise would hit the open market, but a trip to the Conference finals might have New Jersey looking better these days.
I agree with you completely, awesome analysis. What coach do you have in mind?
SlayerScott says...
Hard to say...who's available? Peter Laviolette would be ideal, but he's got a job. Quenneville did a great job maanging Chicago's blazing guns and soggy goaltending to a championship, but again - still employed. Honestly, I've got no idea of a good coach who's currently unemployed and good at using offensive players.
The Edmonton Oilers are in the market for a coach. Should be similar to what you described Washington needing...
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